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The writer of this letter is still an active US Army Special Forces member therefore, his name is being withheld. However, his opinion is the farthest thing from being held back.

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To the political leaders of America,

I write to you today regarding my concerns about the current state in which we find our beloved planet and your efforts in resolving the many issues we face.

Over the last decade, we have managed to allow our mighty position at the head of the table to dwindle down to a seat at the kids table, with our counsel being received as if it were that of a child making a suggestion on how to cure the world of evil: everyone thinks it is adorable, but no one takes it seriously.

To put it politely, you all are about as successful in global politics as an overweight middle-aged American with a severe case of tetanus trying to perform fellatio on himself.

Understanding that you have the attention span of indigenous forces undergoing rifle training, I give you the options of either reading this letter in its entirety or simply skipping to the last two paragraphs.

Sadly, you neither get the reference about indigenous forces (ask your college educated SMEs and think tanks) nor are you capable of making a decision on what to do next. Go ahead and post a tweet asking for thoughts/advice and hashtag this out with the others. #hashtaggingworldproblemsisabsurd #noseriouslystopit #itisridiculousandembarrassing You have time, this letter will still be here.

Due your ineptitude in your decisions with regard to who we back with foreign aid, and your complete lack of a spine in dealing with global threats, we find ourselves, for the first time in ages, being looked at with eyes filled with disdain and disrespect.

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“As I sit here constantly hearing and watching you execute innocent men, women and children in the Middle East I chuckle. Why do I chuckle you may ask? Well let me explain something to you cowardice fools who think you are so tough behind all your propaganda videos. You are scaring a population that doesn’t know how to fight, you’re bullying the weak. You say Islam is the religion of peace,but since when does terrorizing the innocent and beheading men, women and children constitute peace? WTF? But keep in mind, what did Saddam’s troops do when we came rolling into town? They surrendered, twice… So all your empty threats of coming to America and raising your flag over the White House amuse me more than any of you sick, sadistic bastards could ever imagine or comprehend. In 2012 there was about 21.2 million veterans in the United States. Do you…

It fills my heart with grief to tell you that I stood in front of a crowd of 50+ conservatives today and asked how many of them knew that 2 special operators were killed Wednesday in an insider attack. ONE lady raised her hand…ONE. I just started crying. Could barely go on.

Karen’s emotion is totally understandable. It seems this news should be known to all and yet, we continue to hear about celebrities misbehaving, criminals committing misdemeanors and other seemingly less significant news ahead of this real, and totally relevant information. The fact that deaths are escalating in Afghanistan, and the reasons for it, including the Rules of Engagement imposed by our own government, are addressed in this article, and should be known by all Americans.

On the modern battlefield the American army is a mighty force but not all soldiers participate in the fighting in a similar fashion. For every combat arms person there are eight or more support personnel behind the lines making sure the trigger pullers on the front line have the materials they need to fight. Without this supply function the battle would come to a halt in a very short time. Amateurs talk of strategy while generals talk of logistics. Logistics mean fighting capability. Without the materials of war victory is difficult if not impossible to achieve.

When the south went to war in 1861 they were at a decided disadvantage. They had little in the way of raw materials or production capability. This led to final defeat in 1865. When the final shot was fired the south was slowly starving to death from lack of war materials…

Bibles were bannedat Walter Reed Army Medical Center – a decision that was later rescinded;

Christian crosses and a steeple were removed from a chapel in Afghanistan because the military said the icons disrespected other religions;

Catholic chaplains were told not to read a letter to parishioners from their archbishop related to Obamcare mandates. The Secretary of the Army feared the letter could be viewed as a call for civil disobedience.

The Obama Administration is leaking a terrifying amount of classified information as part of a marketing propaganda campaign to toughen the President’s image. But the potential fallout will result in war losses and dead American soldiers.

I. INTRODUCTION

Attacks on Coalition forces by Afghan forces — the so-called green-on-blue attacks — are emerging as a major threat in the 11-year-old war in Afghanistan. These attacks from within have increased dramatically within the past two years, and in 2012 they accounted for 15% of Coalition deaths.

As the United States prepares to complete the withdrawal of its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the US military and its Coalition partners are increasingly shifting security responsibilities to Afghan forces. The success of this security transition depends greatly on the strength and competence of the Afghan military and police. Accordingly, the training of the newly-mustered Afghan forces has become a linchpin of Coalition strategy, which in turn hinges upon the work of trainers with Afghan security forces. This situation has placed Coalition troops at increasing risk as the drawdowns continue and Taliban efforts to infiltrate Afghan forces are being ramped up.

In 2012, attacks by Afghan forces on Coalition forces surged; in 2012, they accounted for 15% of Coalition deaths. In 2011, green-on-blue attacks accounted for 6%; in 2010, 2%; in 2009, 2%; and in 2008, less than 1%.

Although NATO commanders have stated that an estimated 90% of the attacks are due to cultural differences and personal enmity, the attacks began spiking in 2011, just after President Barack Obama announced the plan to pull the surge forces, end combat operations in 2014, and shift security to Afghan forces. The Taliban also have claimed to have stepped up efforts at infiltrating the Afghan National Security Forces.

Disagreeing with NATO’s analysis, the Afghan government has blamed the problem on “infiltration by foreign spy agencies,” including those of “neighboring countries,” The Guardian reported. The Afghan government also predicted that vetting of recruits to the Afghan military and police would soon improve as the forces were reaching their target capacity after a rapid buildup.

While cultural and personal differences may play a role in the increase in attacks, Taliban infiltration and defections by Afghan security personnel who have decided to ingratiate themselves with the Taliban by attacking NATO forces likely play a far more significant role in the green-on-blue attacks than NATO admits. Without a complete study of the attacks, including those that do not result in casualties, it is impossible to have a full understanding as to what motivates Afghan security personnel to turn on their foreign partners.

ISAF responses

In May 2012, ISAF commander General John Allen said that about half of the green-on-blue attacks have been carried out by Taliban infiltrators. In August, General Allen said that approximately 25% of the green-on-blue attacks were due to Taliban infiltration and/or coercion of Afghan forces, according to The New York Times. The Taliban routinely take credit for the attacks.

The US military became so concerned with the green-on-blue attacks in 2012 that it ordered units to designate “guardian angels” in each unit whose job is to provide security for troops working with Afghans. In mid-August, field commanders were told they can increase the number of “guardian angels” depending on the tactical situation, Reuters reports.

The surge in green-on-blue attacks prompted the US military to expand its counterintelligence capability in Afghanistan at the battalion level and above, according to Reuters. In addition, ISAF commander John Allen recently directed all US and NATO troops to carry a loaded weapon at all times, Fox News reported. Other measures taken include the adoption of an eight-step vetting process for recruits and revised NATO training requirements.

Announcing these changes, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Afghan forces were also trying to address the problem and had already discharged “hundreds of soldiers” suspected of having been radicalized. The Telegraph reported that the Afghan army has added 300 intelligence specialists to help detect infiltrators, and that 75 percent of the force will be reinvestigated and enrolled in a biometrics database.

Although as a matter of policy ISAF does not report on attacks that do not result in deaths, this trend seems to be changing, as two of the three attacks reported in July 2012 involved situations in which soldiers were wounded but not killed.

The Taliban have seized on the green-on-blue attacks in their propaganda, and routinely claim each attack to be a result of infiltration. In early August 2012, the Taliban released a video of two Afghan soldiers who attacked ISAF soldiers in Kunar and Uruzgan [see Threat Matrix report, Observations on Taliban video ‘welcoming’ rogue ANA soldiers].

Mullah Omar, the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or the Taliban, addressed the issue of green-on-blue attacks in a statement released on Aug. 16, 2012. Omar claimed that the Taliban “cleverly infiltrated in the ranks of the enemy according to the plan given to them last year,” and urged government officials and security personnel to defect and join the Taliban as a matter of religious duty. He also noted that the Taliban have created the “Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration” department, “with branches … now operational all over the country,” to encourage defections. [See Threat Matrix report, Mullah Omar addresses green-on-blue attacks.]

Update: On Sept. 19, 2012, The Telegraph reported the Taliban’s claim that their “operations and strategy” have forced the Coalition to “abandon” its plans. “This is an achievement for the mujahideen who have managed to create mistrust among the enemy forces and, God willing, this is the start of their overall defeat in Afghanistan,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed.

Update: On Oct. 24, 2012, Taliban emir Mullah Omar released an Eid al-Adha message that urged followers to “[i]increase Increase your efforts to expand the area of infiltration in the ranks of the enemy and to bring about better order and array in the work.” The statement continued: “We call on the Afghans who still stand with the stooge regime to turn to full-fledged cooperation with their Mujahid people like courageous persons in order to protect national interests and to complete independence of the country. Jihadic activities inside the circle of the State militias are the most effective stratagem. Its dimension will see further expansion, organization and efficiency if God willing.”

Methodology

In tabulating the green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan, The Long War Journal has taken its data wherever possible from ISAF press releases. Additional sources include foreign and US press reports, information obtained from ISAF personnel, and previous LWJ articles. Each listed incident in the timeline includes one or more hyperlinks to sources for the report.

For the purposes of this report, all attacks in Afghanistan in which a person purporting to be affiliated with the Afghan security forces — whether Afghan National Army, Afghan Local Police, Afghan Border Police, Afghan Uniformed Police, Afghan Air Force, other branches, or security personnel hired by Afghan authorities — are considered “green.” Similarly, all persons purporting to be affiliated with US, ISAF, or NATO security forces, including interpreters and civilian contractors, are considered “blue.”

The data below indicates the number of attacks, the affiliation of the attacker (if known), the location/province where the attack occurred, the date of the attack, the number of security forces killed or wounded in the attack, and the affiliation of those killed or wounded. The data also includes the reported fate of the attacker(s).

Because ISAF has generally not reported on green-on-blue incidents in which no casualties have occurred, the overall number of attacks is likely to be far greater than those reported below. Similarly, ISAF has generally not reported on incidents that have resulted only in injuries, not death; these too are likely to be underreported. ISAF has told The Long War Journal that the overall number of green-on-blue attacks is “classified.”

Finally, there may be a slight discrepancy between the LWJ and ISAF overall casualty counts, as ISAF does not treat attacks by Afghan forces on US/NATO civilian contractors as “green-on-blue” attacks. In addition, some incidents initially seen to have involved only injuries may have later resulted in deaths.

II. DATA SUMMARY

The following data will be updated on an ongoing basis to reflect any new attacks.

The Long War Journal‘s data covers green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan from Jan. 1, 2008 up to the present. As of Oct. 26, 2013, there have been a total of 85 attacks.Total number of attacks per year:

2013 – 13

2012 – 44

2011 – 16

2010 – 5

2009 – 5

2008 – 2

Total number of attacks per province:

Badghis – 4

Baghlan – 1

Balkh – 2

Farah – 1

Faryab – 2

Ghor – 1

Helmand – 19

Herat – 2

Kabul – 5

Kandahar – 16

Kapisa – 3

Kunar – 1

Laghman – 3

Nangarhar – 3

Paktia – 4

Paktika – 5

Uruzgan – 4

Wardak – 5

Zabul – 2

Unknown – 1

Numbers of Coalition troops and affiliates killed and wounded by green-on-blue attacks:

The total number of Coalition deaths from green-on-blue attacks for the period Jan. 1, 2008 to the present is 140. The total number of Coalition wounded is 159.

Green-on-blue deaths per year, and percentage of Coalition deaths caused by such attacks:

2013 – 14 – 9.9%

2012 – 61 – 15%

2011 – 35 – 6%

2010 – 16 – 2%

2009 – 12 – 2%

2008 – 2 – less than 1%Green-on-blue wounded per year:

2013 – 29

2012 – 81

2011 – 34

2010 – 1

2009 – 11

2008 – 3

Total number of green-on-blue deaths per province:

Badghis – 5

Baghlan – 3

Balkh – 4

Farah – 2

Faryab – 2

Helmand – 34

Herat – 3

Kabul – 12

Kandahar – 17

Kapisa – 8

Kunar – 1

Laghman – 8

Nangarhar – 8

Paktia – 6

Paktika – 7

Uruzgan – 6

Wardak – 8

Zabul – 5

Unknown – 2

Total number of green-on-blue wounded per province:

Badghis – 4

Baghlan – 6

Balkh – 2

Farah – 1

Faryab – 2

Ghor – 2

Helmand – 32

Herat – 1

Kabul – 2

Kandahar – 40

Kapisa – 18

Kunar – 2

Laghman – 6

Nangarhar – 2

Paktia – 6

Paktika – 4

Uruzgan – 5

Wardak – 17

Zabul – 5Reported fate of the attacker(s):

Killed (includes death by suicide attack and killed after fleeing) – 42

Captured – 26*

Wounded (not known if also captured) – 6

Fled after attack- 36

Escaped following capture – 1

Unknown – 3

* Includes 11 suspects detained in an incident on Feb. 20, 2012.

III. TIMELINE OF GREEN-ON-BLUE ATTACKS IN AFGHANISTAN, 2008 – 2013

A member of the Afghan National Security Forces wounded two NATO troops in a gunfight after an argument at a base on the outskirts of Kabul; the Afghan soldier was shot and killed during the clash. The incident occurred when a New Zealand trainer and his Australian guards were fired upon at a checkpoint as they left an Afghan base on their way back to a new British-Afghan military training facility in Qargha. The Coalition troops had tried to take a confiscated laptop from the attacker. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack.

An Afghan National Security Forces soldier opened fire on ISAF troops in Gerda Serai district in Paktia, killing an American soldier and injuring several others. The attacker was then shot and killed by Afghan and American troops. The Taliban claimed the attack in a text message.

An Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on ISAF special forces at a military base near Gardez in Paktia province, killing three special forces troops and injuring one more. The attacker was shot and killed immediately after the attack.

A “rogue” Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on Slovakian troops at Kandahar Airfield, killing one and injuring at least two more. The attacker was captured by Afghan forces. On July 14, the attacker, Lamber Khan, escaped from an Afghan detention facility in Kandahar with the aid of his supervisor; the Taliban claim they have both joined the group.

An Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on Lithuanian soldiers in an armored vehicle at an ANA checkpost in the village of Kasi on the outskirts of the capital city of Chaghcharan, wounding at least two Lithuanian soldiers. The attacker was captured and taken into Afghan custody.

An Afghan Local Policeman opened fire on US Special Force personnel at a military base in the Jalrayz district in Wardak province, killing two soldiers and wounding eight more. The attacker and two Afghan policemen were killed during the engagement.

Three ANSF soldiers in an ANSF vehicle drove onto a US military base in Kapisa province, and opened fire on US troops and civilians, killing one civilian contractor and wounding four US troops. The three attackers were killed during the engagement.

An Afghan National Army soldier from Laghman province who had served as a prayer leader since joining the ANA a year ago opened fire on British and Afghan troops at Patrol Base Hazrat in the Nahr-e Saraj area of Helmand province, killing one British soldier and wounding six more. He was shot by Afghan security forces while attempting to flee. The Taliban quickly claimed the attack.

Green-on-blue attacks in 2012:

Dec. 31, 2012:

Two Afghan National Army soldiers opened fire on Spanish troops as they patrolled in the Karkh district in Herat province; no one was killed or injured in the incident. The attackers fled to the Taliban, who claimed that the attackers were from Jalabad in Nangarhar province.

Two Afghan soldiers opened fire on Spanish troops from the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muqar district in Badghis province. The two Afghan soldiers were captured; one was wounded. One Spanish soldier was wounded in the attack.

An Afghan policeman shot and killed two US soldiers at a police headquarters in Khas Uruzgan in Uruzgan province. According to ToloNews, the attacker was “a trusted member” of the police force who had been on the force for “some months.” The attacker escaped. The Taliban claimed the attack the following day and said the attacker had joined them.

A uniformed employee of the National Security Directorate killed one US soldier and a US State Department employee in a suicide attack at an NDS office in Maruf district in Kandahar province. The attacker, an eight-year employee of the NDS, was a local Maruf man who had moved his wife and children to Pakistan the week before the attack. Also killed in the attack were the deputy NDS chief for Kandahar and three other Afghans. The number of wounded was not reported.

An Afghan soldier opened fire on Coalition forces in the Sayyidabad district in Wardak province. One US soldier and a civilian contractor were killed, and two US soldiers were wounded. Three other Afghan soldiers were also killed in the firefight, and several others were wounded. According to the Washington Post, the firefight began when an Afghan soldier shot the senior US soldier in a 20-man patrol that had gathered to collect biometric data from civilians at a checkpoint manned by Afghan soldiers. When the US troops returned fire, “[a]nother Afghan soldier at the checkpoint opened fire on the Americans, killing a US civilian contractor and wounding two other American soldiers [and] … [s]oon, Afghan soldiers and possibly insurgents began firing at the Americans from several directions.”

An Afghan soldier opened fire on a vehicle being driven inside Camp Garmser, a shared base in Helmand province; six NATO troops and a foreign civilian worker were wounded in the attack. The attacker thought the vehicle contained NATO troops. Another Afghan soldier took the attacker into custody after disarming him.

Afghan policemen opened fire on a group of Coalition soldiers in the Mizan district in Zabul province, killing four soldiers and wounding two more. The attacker was killed in return fire from another soldier; several other Afghan policemen were wounded. The Taliban later claimed that the attack had been carried out with the aid of seven Afghan policemen who were retaliating for the film “Innocence of Muslims.” A later report on the incident said five or possibly six Afghan police had opened fire on six US soldiers at an observation post, and that five of the attackers escaped.

A member of the Afghan Local Police opened fire on a group of British soldiers in the Gereshk district in Helmand province, killing two soldiers and wounding two more. The attacker was killed in return fire from another British soldier. The Taliban later claimed that the attacker was an Afghan soldier named Gul Agha, who “work[ed] in the occupier’s base in the area of Maljir in Naqilo.”

An Afghan soldier shot and killed three Australian soldiers in an attack at a base in Tarin Kot in Uruzgan province. Two more Australian soldiers were wounded in the attack. According to Australia’s ABC news agency, the attacker, a recent recruit named as Sergeant Hikmatullah, climbed over the base’s fence after the attack and ran away. The Taliban included a picture of Hikmatullah in a Twitter posting on Sept. 16, 2012. Hikmatullah fled to Pakistan, where sometime later he was arrested by the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate; he was handed over to Afghan authorities on Oct. 2, 2013.

An Afghan soldier killed two ISAF soldiers in an attack in Alignar in Laghman province. The attacker was killed by ISAF soldiers. According to Reuters, the soldiers from Combat Outpost Xio Haq were killed when their convoy was attacked by a gunner named Welayat Khan on an Afghan Army convoy that was passing by. The other Afghan soldiers reportedly lowered their weapons after the attack for fear of getting shot. Minutes after the attack, a US helicopter shot Khan as he attempted to flee. A local Taliban commander claimed after the incident that Khan was “their man” and that he had been trained by the Taliban for the attack.

A member of the Afghan Uniformed Police turned his weapon on a group of ISAF soldiers in southern Afghanistan, killing one soldier, and wounding another soldier and an interpreter. The incident occurred in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, and the district police chief has since been fired for negligence and lack of control over his personnel, according to AFP. The attacker was killed by return fire.

An Afghan Local Police officer killed two US soldiers during a training exercise on an Afghan base in Farah province, and wounded another ISAF soldier. The two slain soldiers were with Marine Corps special operations; one of the soldiers was a Marine and the other was a Navy corpsman, according to Marine Times. The attacker was killed by nearby troops.

Three US soldiers were killed and one was wounded in an attack by an Afghan Local Police commander and his men in Sangin district in Helmand province. The Afghan police commander fled after the attack.

An ISAF soldier was killed by “three individuals in Afghan Police uniforms” in the south. According to The Associated Press, the gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at US soldiers in the Zhari district of Kandahar province, killing one and wounding nine more before fleeing. The next day, an Afghan policeman “facilitated” an insurgent attack on a base in the Shah Wali Kot district in Kandahar province; the attackers, who were clad in Afghan military uniforms, wounded “fewer than 10 US troops.”

An Afghan commando killed a US Special Forces soldier and an Afghan interpreter in an attack in Shah Wali Kot in Kandahar province. The attacker, as well as an Afghan special forces soldier, was killed by return fire. The Taliban claimed the attacker was “an insurgent infiltrator called Zakerullah,” according to Reuters.

An ISAF service member died following a shooting incident in eastern Afghanistan. The service member was approaching an ALP checkpoint in Rowzah district in Paktika province when he was shot by an alleged member of the Afghan Local Police, The New York Times reported. The attacker was killed by return fire.

An Afghan interpreter hijacked an SUV, wounding a British soldier, then attempted to run down a group of US Marines, including a major general, at the Camp Bastion airfield in Helmand province, just before Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s plane was scheduled to land. The attacker crashed his truck and then set himself on fire; the attacker’s brother and father, also interpreters, were both detained, as was another person said also to be an interpreter, according to The Associated Press.

Shame on Us! We” allowed the “Islamic” Chairman Obama and the Marxist “Progressive” Congress to take over America, their Total DISDAIN for the Military is worn like a badge on their Chests like some Russian Commissar.

The Fort Hood shootings proved convincingly that political correctness is lethal. Army Chief of Staff

Gen. George Casey ran to the Sunday talk shows to say it would be a “tragedy” if our diversity were a casualty of this incident. No, General, it was your misguided approach to diversity that led scores of officers to look the other way as Nidal Hasan breathed mutiny and sedition daily—for years.

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Quotes

"Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR."
~ Vietnam Pilot

"In combat, honor is obtained by those who do what must be done, not what is allowed by those who refuse to fight or die for their own cause...my extremes pump fear into the enemy for generations come, your extremes cause warriors to bow in the presence of the unworthy, presenting weakness and opportunity ... well, I bow to no man"
~ Antonio Cezar Vega